CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — When built, Hite Road Park will become the ninth public park in Jefferson County’s system.

The park is the subject of a public meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Jefferson County Community Center at 235 Sam Michaels Lane, off Job Corps Road.

The meeting will provide residents with their second and final review of the master plan for the proposed 118-acre park on Hite Road behind the USDA Fruit Research Facility, said Tim Barr, director of parks and recreation for the county.  

According to Barr, the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Commission paid Land Planning & Design Associates of Sterling, Va., $55,000 to create a conceptual plan. The design was based on public opinion and a 2005 survey of recreational needs in the county.

LPDA employees worked with parks and recreation members, representatives of sports groups that would use the park and the public to draft the master plan.

The commission is expected to approve the plan on March 10, Barr said.

There is no official estimate of the cost to build the park, but Barr estimated the cost in the “area of $2 million.”

The Jefferson County Commissioners bought the land for $600,000. 

The money to build the park will come from donations and partnerships between the commission and youth leagues that will use the fields and facilities, groups like Jefferson County Youth Soccer and Little League baseball, Barr said.

Projected facilities include four basketball courts, three tennis courts, walking trails, 11 soccer fields, a dog park, a skateboard park, a mini golf course, picnic pavilions, a maintenance building, six baseball fields, two football fields, tot lots, two playgrounds, and a tricycle and bike track, Barr said.

The proposed master plan for the park can be seen in the lobby of the Jefferson County Community Center and online at www.lpda.net. Residents may e-mail feedback and questions to zac@lpda.net.